A4 Scientific reports

1 Scientific research
This is usually conducted in order to support a hypothesis or to validate the work of
others. An accurate written record of the experiment is important because it allows other
researchers to share your work. At graduate level or above your research is adding to an
international body of data on your particular area of study.

In general, scientific reports follow the same guidelines as other academic writing in terms
of style and vocabulary. However, your department may well have its own requirements,
for example the organisation of a report, so it is advisable to ask if these exist.

2 Format
Reports of laboratory experiments in disciplines such as biology, chemistry and physics
generally include the following sections:
Title
Abstract
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
References

(a) Title
This should contain the essential elements of the report in (ideally) no more than 12
words:
The effect of temperature changes on the germination of wheat (Triticum
aestivum)

(b) Abstract
The function of an abstract is to help a potential reader identify whether your report is
relevant to his/ her research interests. It is essentially a summary in about 200 words of
each part of the report, and so it commonly written after the last draft is finalised. It
should include the principal conclusions, and be written in the same tenses as the main
report.

(c) Introduction
The introduction should contextualise your work with reference to other similar research.
It should cite previous research papers which you have studied, in order to explain the
purpose of your work, e.g. to confirm or extend their findings. It must contain a purpose
statement (why you did this experiment) or a hypothesis you wished to evaluate, or both.

(d) Method
This section explains how you did the research. It should allow another researcher to
repeat your work, so it needs to include a description of equipment and materials used, as
well as the process you followed. You may wish to include diagrams or photographs to
illustrate the set-up in the laboratory. The passive is normally used (three samples were
prepared) rather than the active (we prepared ... ). As the research is concluded, the past
tense should be used throughout.

(e) Results
Again using the past tense, here you summarise all the results obtained. Detailed data
may be presented in tables and graphs, with only the most important features highlighted
in the text. You must include all results, including unexpected ones which do not conform
to your hypothesis.
(f) Discussion
This section links back to the introduction by comparing your results with the original
purpose or hypothesis. It aims to evaluate the experiment in terms of your findings and
compare them to your expectations. It may be necessary to refer to the relevant
literature. The conclusion should make it clear whether you feel that your hypothesis has
been supported, and if there are changes that you would make to the design of the
experiment if you were to repeat it.

(g) References
As in all academic writing, this is a list of all the sources you have specifically mentioned
in your report. See Unit 1.8 References and quotations for details of organising
references.